Think about how long 50 years is. (If you’re approaching an upcoming birthday for that milestone, maybe don’t. Think about cake and good friends instead).

Five decades. Half a century. 436,800 hours. It’s a long time.

It’s also the years of safe driving that UPS Feeder Driver Ron “The Big Dog” Sowder has just racked up. (Feeder trucks are the big semis that you see rolling down the highway. “The Big Dog” is a cool nickname for someone who’s good at what he does).

Before crossing the finish line Wednesday at UPS’s facility in West Carrollton, Ohio, just south of Dayton, Ron was escorted for the last few miles of his milestone trip by Ohio State Troopers. He was then greeted by a blast of confetti and an enthusiastic welcoming committee at the building.

UPS takes their safety seriously, as anyone who has ever set foot in one of its facilities can attest, and an achievement like this means a whole lot to the company. (In fact, UPS invested $175 million in safety training in 2011). On Thursday morning, several special UPS guests from around the country were on hand for a formal celebration at the facility.

A native of Springboro, Ohio, Ron was fresh out of the Navy when he joined UPS in 1960. Since then, he figures he’s driven more than 4 million miles; transported more than 22 million packages, and climbed into a UPS truck more than 12,000 times. Just last year he was featured on the show “American Trucker” on the Speed Channel.

According to Ron, the greatest benefit of being a UPS driver is “The future. I like that this company is always growing – Never stagnant. It’s great to be a part of an organization that is always looking ahead to what comes next.”

So now what’s next? Well, more great service and safe driving from “The Big Dog.”

You can count on that.

UPS driver Ethan Callif of Columbus, Ohio, isn’t fooling anyone. “I’m just a regular guy,” he said. But sticking out from beneath his brown uniform collar, everyone can see his red cape.

It was a normal Thursday morning in July and Ethan was on his route when the unexpected happened. A traffic accident caused a motorist to lose control of her car and Ethan saw it crash into a deep pond. 

“I had no thoughts,” said Ethan. “I just knew I had to go get her.”

Ethan parked his package car, ran fully-clothed into the pond and swam out to the sinking vehicle. The lady in the car climbed out to sit on the passenger window sill with her hands on the roof, but she was sinking fast.  She couldn’t swim.

“By the time I got there, all I saw was the trunk sticking up in the air,” said Ethan. 

He swam to the lady and pulled her free.  “As soon as I secured her and looked around, the car was gone,” he said.

Treading water while holding the lady with both arms, Ethan wasn’t able to make any progress. So, he pulled her around behind him where she could hold on to his shoulders while he swam.

When asked if it was a struggle to swim fully-clothed with a person on his back, Ethan said, “I don’t remember. I was just focused on getting to shore.”

Finally, about three feet from the edge of the pond, Ethan’s boots touched bottom and he pulled the lady from the water. 

Since the events of that day, the story has been recounted in print and television news and Ethan is being called a hero. The Liberty Township assistant fire chief who responded to the scene said Ethan definitely saved the lady’s life. 

“I don’t feel like I did anything special,” said Ethan. “I just helped a lady who needed help.”

This January, Ethan will be honored at the township fire department’s Community Lifesaver Award Banquet, given to recognize ordinary citizens who save another’s life.

UPS Northland Center Business Manager Duane Bruce said another driver summed it up best when he found out about the incident. “I can see Ethan doing that,” he said.